Calling her a “true hero,” the state Senate on Thursday passed a resolution honoring New Life Church volunteer security guard Jeanne Assam, who last year confronted a gunman in a church hallway.

Assam thrice shot the gunman, 24-year-old Matthew Murray, who had already killed four people and wounded five others in the shootings at New Life and another church campus. He then shot himself.

“Today we have some people with us who’ve experienced terror firsthand, who know what it’s like to face a madman with a gun,” said Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs.

Several senators lauded Assam, who was in the Senate chamber along with several other New Life members, including David Works, whose two daughters were killed in the shootings and who was injured during the attack Dec. 9.

“I think courage is rare,” said Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver. “We don’t see it a lot in our society. . . . We don’t train people to risk their lives for other people. It comes from somewhere other than training.”

Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, who said he often attends New Life Church services, said, “In adversity, the face of Jesus is truly seen.”

And Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, asked lawmakers to consider how the attack would have ended had restrictive gun-control laws prevented Assam from being armed.

“It ended far short of the killer’s design because of the presence of law-abiding citizens who were able to defend themselves, who were armed and able to defend themselves,” he said.

Afterward, Assam said she was humbled to have been honored.

She said her faith has deepened since the shooting and she has no lingering issues.

“I have peace about it,” she said. “We stopped somebody who was intending to do a lot of people harm. I can have nothing but peace about it.”

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